The developers have not really taken advantage of the setting in the game and really, if you took the puzzles, placed them in a different LEGO game and replaced the characters, it wouldn't seem out of place. Ultimately, it is a moderately good game and is enjoyable to play, but it may seem very familiar if you have played more than one or two of the previous LEGO games. Probably the biggest problem with the game is that it has not mixed up the LEGO formula we have seen so often before. Occasionally you will run across a puzzle which requires a character you have not found yet, so there is some backtracking, but the character specific puzzles are most definitely the best. It's a no brainer as the game will actually display which character needs to solve which problem for you. As expected, the puzzles are perfect for the younger set and don't be surprised if you see a child beat a puzzle well before you have even considered how it all works.Įach character within the game has a special ability which is used to solve a puzzle. They made logical sense to us and it is clear that Traveller's Tales have put a huge effort into challenging but solvable puzzles and over time they have begun to perfect this mix. We don't know why, but we found the puzzles of Pirates of the Caribbean easier to deduce than some of those which have been seen in the previous LEGO games.
The platform element of the game compliments the puzzles well and some of them are quite a challenge. Also, the game element is very much dumbed down for the younger set with the game offering unlimited lives, meaning that as long as you have the patience to solve the puzzles which are in the game. To finish and platinum the game would take I should think at least twenty or so hours, but if you just play through the story you will be done in about six or seven depending on how well you can solve the various puzzles in the game. There is still a major focus on collectables and gaining points with good performance unlocking new characters. There really is genuinely always something to do in the LEGO games and this has not changed with the Pirates of the Caribbean iteration.
You can spoil the events of movie 1 by playing movie 3 first for example, but it also allows you to move on and play something new with the kids or partner if you get stuck. There is a number of advantages to this, but it also means the story can get a bit muddled. With this in mind, it's best to see the film first before playing this game, as it does contain major spoilers and the four game stories do follow the movie storylines quite closely, as you would expect.Īs you would also expect based on the other games, after a quick introduction sequence you can play the movies in any order. The game covers the four films so far including the just released Pirates of the Caribbean: At Lands End. However, it's a risk that has paid off with LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean proving that the formula works for even recent film franchises. It's only been around in the 2000's and whilst popular, would not be written into pop culture folk lore as much as Star Wars has been, so this was a risk. In the grand scheme of things, when you compare Pirates of the Caribbean to something like Star Wars or Indiana Jones, it does not compare. It's no surprise that the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean game continues this tradition.
The fact the movie studios are allowing their famous brands to be parodied in such a way is a credit to them and they are reaping the rewards with the games raising the profile of those franchises even further and introducing a new generation to them. They are perfect to play with the kids or a partner, and are genuinely funny for kids and adults alike.
It seems every six or so months a new LEGO game is coming out now, but as gamers we seem to not be able to get enough of them.
When Traveller's Tales stumbled upon the idea of turning famous film series' such as Star Wars into LEGO games, little did they know just how popular and big they would be.